Without a doubt, World War II is widely considered as one of the most influential events of the 20th century. It was a time where many young men and women were called up to rise against the foreign threat that was threatening their very liberties and freedoms. And while the influence of nationalism is talked about and debated frequently amongst many historians, few actually talk about how important the actual contribution of these young soldiers was. Influenced by propaganda, many young recruits were promised adventure,fame and glory, and an opportunity to defend their homeland. But these young men did not expect the terrible,harsh reality of WWII that came down upon them. Unfortunately, many of these young Canadians met untimely deaths, their promising lives cut short by the ultimate horrors of war . One of these brave men was Joseph Krause. The contribution made by Joseph and other soldiers is without a doubt, immeasurable. Because of this, the great service that these troops provided for the country should never be forgotten.
Joseph Anthony Krause was born on February 6th, 1919 to Francis and Selma Krause. He was born in the small prairie town of Yorkton Saskatchewan.While originally Canadian, his racial origin was German. Joseph lived on 410 Assiniboine Avenue.He was described physically as being 5,10.5, and weighing 136 pounds at time of enlistment. Joseph had gray eyes, was single, and was considered as a Roman Catholic (Attestation Paper). He attended Greidna Public School from 1925 to 1934, in which he stayed there from grades one to eight.From 1934 to 1937, Joseph stayed in the same school, but in his senior year he attended St. Paul's College . After that, Joseph was accepted into the University of Manitoba, where he stayed for one year, taking part in Arts and Science courses (RCAF Interview Report). Joseph presented many great qualities that made up a good person. Based on his interview records, he is described as being fair,slim, and well dressed. His personality seemed to be that of a brisk and courteous man. He was a good type overall, being punctual and honest, and was recommended as a good fit for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF Interview Report). Joseph had a variety of hobbies as well which included tennis, basketball, hockey and swimming. He was a curious man who had a keen interest on flying. Without a doubt, Joseph possessed many of the great qualities of a St. Paul's student, and he was definitely an example of his times. He was a hard worker, confident, and when called upon to serve for his country, Joseph did took the challenge and signed up to fight in the war (RCAF Interview Report).
It is difficult to imagine someone signing up for the service at such a young age, in this case, the age of 21. At the time, most young men over the age of 18 ended up serving in the war. One of the main reasons for this was the heavy influence of propaganda forced by the Canadian forces and government. Propaganda impacted young recruits by stimulating emotions such as fear and guilt. These impacted young recruits by in some way influencing their decisions about joining the war effort. Nevertheless, most young soldiers had no idea what terrors they would actually face in the moment of war.
Upon entry into the RCAF, Joseph was selected into the No. 7 Squadron. The motto of the squadron was the Latin phrase "Per Diem Per Noctem" which meant "by day and by night" (Attestation Paper). The squadron badge consists of six points forming a representation of the constellation Ursa Major. The seven stars indicate the original number of the squadron (Bomber Command). Joseph joined the RCAF on June 4th, 1940. Prior to the war, Joseph had no previous flight experience. He underwent through a rigorous training procedure in Edmonton, at the Moss Bank and Rivers training facility (Military Records). This training procedure included many exercises such as basic military training, education classes on navigation and aerodynamics, and flight school. These exercises were all necessary in order to become a pilot.On March 1, 1941, Joseph was sent overseas to England. On June 19th of the same year, Joseph left England for Malta. On June 21, due to aircraft problems, Joseph made a forced landing of his #15 O.T.U aircraft off Auglas, Spain. He was found by some local fishermen (Military Records). After interning in Spain for nearly a year, Joseph then escaped to the island of Gibraltar on April 5, 1942. He then arrived back in England to return with the #7 Squadron on May 8. On August 25, during night operations over a section France, Joseph's Stirling went down. He died along with five other Air Force crew members. Joseph Krause was buried in the Secheval Communal Cemetery in the French town of Ardennes. He next of kin was his mother, Selma Krause. Joseph was awarded with several metals for his service to the RCAF. These medals included the 1939-1945 star, which was given to soldiers who took part in operational service between the 3rd of September 1939, to the 2nd of September 1945. The War Medal was awarded to Joseph based on the qualification of a minimum of 28 days service in WWII. He also was rewarded with the Air Crew Europe Star, which was given to those who performed operational flying over occupied Europe between September 1939 to June 1944. The General Service was given to Joseph based on the qualification of serving in "Minor Wars" between 1923 and 1962. Most importantly though, Joseph was awarded the General Volunteer Service Medal with clasp. The GVSM was given to those who contributed at least eighteen months of voluntary service in the Canadian forces (Veteran Affairs).
While Joseph Krause is gone, his legacy is not forgotten. He is located on the Book of Remembrance at page 87. Joseph was one of the many young brave men who sacrificed his life in order to protect his fellow countrymen. He possessed great quality traits that made him stand out from the rest. Not only was he a remarkable person, but so where other Canadian servicemen. They were all ordinary men who left their jobs,schools,friends, and families to protect their own nation. That is truly extraordinary. And because of that, we Canadians should stand together and honour these people who helped us possess the freedoms we currently have today.
Web link"The Winnipeg Evening Tribune." Manitobia. University of Manitoba, n.d. Web. 17
May 2012. <http://manitobia.ca/content/en/newspapers/
The%20Winnipeg%20Tribune/1942/08/25/iarchives>.
Archival Reference
Military service files of Warrant Office Class II Joseph Anthony Krause (RG 48, Volume 29006) obtained from Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario.
Joseph Anthony Krause
Warrant Officer Class II, R-59132, # 7 Squadron, R.C.A.F
==
Service Personnel Information
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Essay
Without a doubt, World War II is widely considered as one of the most influential events of the 20th century. It was a time where many young men and women were called up to rise against the foreign threat that was threatening their very liberties and freedoms. And while the influence of nationalism is talked about and debated frequently amongst many historians, few actually talk about how important the actual contribution of these young soldiers was. Influenced by propaganda, many young recruits were promised adventure,fame and glory, and an opportunity to defend their homeland. But these young men did not expect the terrible,harsh reality of WWII that came down upon them. Unfortunately, many of these young Canadians met untimely deaths, their promising lives cut short by the ultimate horrors of war . One of these brave men was Joseph Krause. The contribution made by Joseph and other soldiers is without a doubt, immeasurable. Because of this, the great service that these troops provided for the country should never be forgotten.
Joseph Anthony Krause was born on February 6th, 1919 to Francis and Selma Krause. He was born in the small prairie town of Yorkton Saskatchewan.While originally Canadian, his racial origin was German. Joseph lived on 410 Assiniboine Avenue.He was described physically as being 5,10.5, and weighing 136 pounds at time of enlistment. Joseph had gray eyes, was single, and was considered as a Roman Catholic (Attestation Paper). He attended Greidna Public School from 1925 to 1934, in which he stayed there from grades one to eight.From 1934 to 1937, Joseph stayed in the same school, but in his senior year he attended St. Paul's College . After that, Joseph was accepted into the University of Manitoba, where he stayed for one year, taking part in Arts and Science courses (RCAF Interview Report). Joseph presented many great qualities that made up a good person. Based on his interview records, he is described as being fair,slim, and well dressed. His personality seemed to be that of a brisk and courteous man. He was a good type overall, being punctual and honest, and was recommended as a good fit for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF Interview Report). Joseph had a variety of hobbies as well which included tennis, basketball, hockey and swimming. He was a curious man who had a keen interest on flying. Without a doubt, Joseph possessed many of the great qualities of a St. Paul's student, and he was definitely an example of his times. He was a hard worker, confident, and when called upon to serve for his country, Joseph did took the challenge and signed up to fight in the war (RCAF Interview Report).
It is difficult to imagine someone signing up for the service at such a young age, in this case, the age of 21. At the time, most young men over the age of 18 ended up serving in the war. One of the main reasons for this was the heavy influence of propaganda forced by the Canadian forces and government. Propaganda impacted young recruits by stimulating emotions such as fear and guilt. These impacted young recruits by in some way influencing their decisions about joining the war effort. Nevertheless, most young soldiers had no idea what terrors they would actually face in the moment of war.
Upon entry into the RCAF, Joseph was selected into the No. 7 Squadron. The motto of the squadron was the Latin phrase "Per Diem Per Noctem" which meant "by day and by night" (Attestation Paper). The squadron badge consists of six points forming a representation of the constellation Ursa Major. The seven stars indicate the original number of the squadron (Bomber Command). Joseph joined the RCAF on June 4th, 1940. Prior to the war, Joseph had no previous flight experience. He underwent through a rigorous training procedure in Edmonton, at the Moss Bank and Rivers training facility (Military Records). This training procedure included many exercises such as basic military training, education classes on navigation and aerodynamics, and flight school. These exercises were all necessary in order to become a pilot.On March 1, 1941, Joseph was sent overseas to England. On June 19th of the same year, Joseph left England for Malta. On June 21, due to aircraft problems, Joseph made a forced landing of his #15 O.T.U aircraft off Auglas, Spain. He was found by some local fishermen (Military Records). After interning in Spain for nearly a year, Joseph then escaped to the island of Gibraltar on April 5, 1942. He then arrived back in England to return with the #7 Squadron on May 8. On August 25, during night operations over a section France, Joseph's Stirling went down. He died along with five other Air Force crew members. Joseph Krause was buried in the Secheval Communal Cemetery in the French town of Ardennes. He next of kin was his mother, Selma Krause. Joseph was awarded with several metals for his service to the RCAF. These medals included the 1939-1945 star, which was given to soldiers who took part in operational service between the 3rd of September 1939, to the 2nd of September 1945. The War Medal was awarded to Joseph based on the qualification of a minimum of 28 days service in WWII. He also was rewarded with the Air Crew Europe Star, which was given to those who performed operational flying over occupied Europe between September 1939 to June 1944. The General Service was given to Joseph based on the qualification of serving in "Minor Wars" between 1923 and 1962. Most importantly though, Joseph was awarded the General Volunteer Service Medal with clasp. The GVSM was given to those who contributed at least eighteen months of voluntary service in the Canadian forces (Veteran Affairs).
While Joseph Krause is gone, his legacy is not forgotten. He is located on the Book of Remembrance at page 87. Joseph was one of the many young brave men who sacrificed his life in order to protect his fellow countrymen. He possessed great quality traits that made him stand out from the rest. Not only was he a remarkable person, but so where other Canadian servicemen. They were all ordinary men who left their jobs,schools,friends, and families to protect their own nation. That is truly extraordinary. And because of that, we Canadians should stand together and honour these people who helped us possess the freedoms we currently have today.
Military Service Record
Grave Reference
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Additional information/Pictures
\
Citations
<http://www.bomber-command.info/medals.htm>.
2012. <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/images/collections/books/bww2/
ww2087.jpg>.
Sept. 2007. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/
7_wwII.html>.
<http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2689754/
KRAUSE,%20JOSEPH%20ANTHONY>.
Web link"The Winnipeg Evening Tribune." Manitobia. University of Manitoba, n.d. Web. 17
May 2012. <http://manitobia.ca/content/en/newspapers/
The%20Winnipeg%20Tribune/1942/08/25/iarchives>.
Archival Reference
Military service files of Warrant Office Class II Joseph Anthony Krause (RG 48, Volume 29006) obtained from Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario.